Mark Boughton

❯ About: Boughton was first elected mayor of the Hat City in 2001 and is currently serving his ninth consecutive term. Before running for mayor, Boughton served two terms as a state representative. His father preceded him in both positions. His Twitter account, @MayorMark, has more than 36,000 followers and he is quick to engage with constituents about everything from pot holes and school cancellations to the latest episode of 'The Walking Dead.'

❯ Analysis: This is the third time Boughton has run for governor after failed campaigns in 2010 and 2014. In 2010 he was Tom Foley's running mate and the pair lost to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy by less than 7,000 votes. He suspended his 2014 campaign amid fundraising difficulties, but this time around has cleared the $250,000 in small contributions needed to qualify for the state's public campaign finance program.

❯ About: Bridgeport voters sent Ganim back to the mayor's office in 2015 despite the seven-year prison sentence he received for corruption charges related to his first stint as mayor. Like Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, Ganim has said that bolstering the state's cities is key to revitalizing Connecticut's economy.

❯ Analysis: Ganim is actually making his second bid for governor. He sought the Democratic nomination in 1994 before dropping out of the race and endorsing then-state Sen. John Larson. Fundraising may be a hurdle for Ganim; he is barred from participating in the state's public campaign financing system because of his criminal conviction.

R. Nelson Griebel

❯ Profession: Former CEO at BankBoston Connecticut & Former President of Metro Hartford Alliance

❯ About: The former banker and longtime leader of the MetroHartford Alliance is making his second run for governor. He has selected attorney Monte Frank of Newtown, a Democrat and a nationally known advocate of stricter gun laws, as his running mate.

❯ Analysis: In 2010, Griebel ran as a Republican but was defeated in a primary by the party-backed candidate, Tom Foley. This time around, Griebel is opting to bypass the two-party system and run as an independent, a strategy that could prove difficult. He is also not participating in the state's public financing program, saying he is philisophically opposed to using taxpayer money to fund campaigns.

Rod Hanscomb

❯ About: Rodney Hanscomb's Libertarian bona fides are evident in his approach to the minimum wage ("The free market determines people’s worth. Not the government.") and his pledge to rein in state spending. Asked what tax increases he would support, he responds that that "phrase/concept is not in my vocabulary."

❯ Analysis: Hanscomb, who returned to Connecticut four years ago and wonders what happened to the state's economy, has an opportunity to promote Libertarian ideology during the campaign. But third-party gubernatorial candidates with little name recognition rarely do well come election day.

Timothy Herbst

❯ About: A Trumbull native who was voted "most likely to suceed" by his high school clasmates, Herbst grduated from Trinity College and holds a law degree from Pace University School of Law. In 2009, at age 29, he became Trumbull's youngest first selectman, an office he held until late last year.

❯ Analysis: Herbst has never won election to statewide office but he came close to beating Democratic state Treasurer Denise Nappier in 2014. He has sparred with some of his GOP rivals, who have described him as combative, but Herbst says he's a "fearless outsider" who will bring needed reforms to Hartford.

Ned Lamont

❯ About: Lamont, the founder of a company that provides telecommunications services to college campuses, rose to national prominence when he defeated then-Sen. Joseph Lieberman in a 2006 Democratic primary. Lamont went on to lose the general election to Lieberman, who ran as an independent. Lamot ran for governor in 2010 but lost to Dannel P. Malloy.

❯ Analysis: Lamont's stunning primary win over Lieberman was largely fueled by public frustration over Lieberman's support for the Iraq War. In 2010, Lamont ran on a more conservative platform, opposing paid sick leave, a policy favored by many of the progressives that had backed him in 2006. This time around, he is emphasizing his business background along with support for raising the minimum wage and pay equity in the workplace.

Steve Obsitnik

❯ About: With his Navy background, Obsitnik has endorsed building a "world-class, undersea technology industry" in the state. He's also called on returning state spending to 2010 levels - about 10 percent below current spending - in part by reducing state-employee costs and offering future hires defined-contribution retirement benefits rather than participation in the state pension system.

❯ Analysis: Obsitnik has some name recognition from his 2012 run for Congress against Rep. Jim Himes but he is not well-known outside of Fairfield County. He recently published a book "Run To The Fire: Leadership Lessons from the Arctic Circle to the Silicon Valley and Back Home to a State in Crisis."

Bob Stefanowski

❯ About: Stefanowski, a former investment banker and corporate executive, is making his first run for elective office, with a pledge to eliminate the gift and estate taxes and phase out the corporate and personal income tax. He also favors term limits for state politicians and a constitutional amendment requiring a 60-percent supermajority to increase taxes or fees.

❯ Analysis: Stefanowski touts himself as a "turnaround guy" with a record of fixing messes. But he faces a crowded Republican field with other successful outsiders as well as candidates with political experience and closer ties to the party.

Micah Welintukonis

❯ About: Micah Welintukonis, an Army veteran who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was seriously injured an received a Purple Heart. Welintukonis has also served on Coventry's town council as its vice chairman.

❯ Analysis: There's no denying Welintukonis is a dedicated public servant, but as is the case with any independent candidate, there are significant hurdles to becoming governor.